Heat converts preseason standout Jamal Cain to two-way deal. What it means for rest of roster
Miami Heat undrafted rookie Jamal Cain has been promoted.
With Cain flashing his intriguing potential this preseason, the Heat converted his Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal on Sunday, league sources told the Miami Herald. The Heat later confirmed the news in a press release.
The two-way contract works to keep Cain within the Heat’s developmental system this season and prevents him from being poached by another team.
“Man, I still can’t even grasp it all right now,” Cain said following Sunday’s practice at FTX Arena just hours after being called into Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s office to learn the news of his promotion. “I’m still trying to find out how my feelings are. But I’m extremely happy, though. I’m extremely blessed. I’m still going to talk it over with my mom just to get her true feelings and my family. But right now, I’m just soaking in the moment.”
Since the Heat’s two two-way contract slots were previously occupied, the team waived forward Darius Days from his two-way deal to make room for Cain. But Miami’s hope is to continue to develop Days, who went undrafted out of LSU this year, by making him a part of its G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Days’ two-way deal with the Heat allowed Miami to move him to an Exhibit 10 contract on Saturday before he was waived.
By moving Days to an Exhibit 10 deal, he’s now eligible for a bonus of up to $50,000 if he spends at least 60 days with Miami’s G League affiliate this season. But he’s also eligible to sign a standard or two-way contract with another NBA team after being waived this weekend.
Cain, 23, now joins guard Marcus Garrett as the Heat’s two two-way contract players. Two-way deals can be swapped out at any time.
Two-way contracts do not count toward the salary cap or luxury tax and allow for players to be on their NBA team’s active list for as many as 50 regular-season games, with other game action having to come in the G League. Those on two-way deals are not eligible to take part in the NBA playoffs.
“Those are precious moments when it’s just absolute genuine purity and joy from an opportunity like that and he’s earned it,” Spoelstra said when asked about Cain’s new two-way deal. “Over the course of the last several weeks, we’ve been able to see his work ethic and how much he’s improved because of his approach and work ethic. Then he had several good moments in training camp and the last two preseason games.”
Cain has logged 69 minutes of court time this preseason, tied for the most on the Heat’s roster with Duncan Robinson. Days played just 11 minutes through the Heat’s first three preseason games, which is the fourth-fewest on the roster ahead of only Dewayne Dedmon, and the yet-to-play Udonis Haslem and Victor Oladipo.
Who is Cain?
The 23-year-old Cain played five college seasons, with the first four coming at Marquette before finishing his collegiate career at Oakland. He averaged 19.9 points on 49.9 percent shooting from the field and 10.2 rebounds per game last season with Oakland, and was named the 2021-22 Horizon League Co-Player of the Year.
Cain impressed as a member of the Heat’s summer league team and earned an invite to training camp, where he continued to stand out and eventually forced Miami to convert his Exhibit 10 deal to a two-way contract with his strong play this preseason.
Cain has made his presence felt on both ends of the court with his combination of athleticism, energy and skill at 6-7 and 191 pounds.
Cain has averaged 17 points on 13-of-24 (54.2 percent) shooting from the field, 4-of-8 (50 percent) shooting from three-point range, 8.5 rebounds, two assists and 3.5 steals in the Heat’s last two preseason games. He has posted a team-best plus/minus of plus-30 this preseason.
“I knew my work ethic and I knew the respect I have for the game,” Cain said of his path to a two-way deal with the Heat. “I didn’t know if it would be here or somewhere else. But I wanted to keep that mentality going, still wanted it to work. I knew my opportunity was going to come either now or later.”
With Days waived after being switched from a two-way to an Exhibit 10 contract, that opened a spot for the Heat to sign guard Mychal Mulder to an Exhibit 10 deal. This contract means that Mulder will also likely play for the Skyforce in the G League this season.
Mulder is a familiar face, as he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat in September 2019 before he was waived and then ended last season on a two-way contract with the Heat before he was again released toward the end of summer league. Known for his three-point shooting, Mulder has also spent time with the Heat’s G League affiliate in recent seasons.
“We really value what Michael brings, his work ethic, his approach, his ability to shoot the basketball fits our style of play,” Spoelstra said.
Following the addition of Mulder, the Heat’s preseason roster is again at the NBA maximum of 20 players — 14 on standard contracts (Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Dewayne Dedmon, Udonis Haslem, Tyler Herro, Haywood Highsmith, Nikola Jovic, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, Victor Oladipo, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Omer Yurtseven), two on two-way contracts (Cain and Garrett) and four on Exhibit 10 contracts (Jamaree Bouyea, Mulder, Orlando Robinson and Dru Smith). The expectation is the Heat’s Exhibit 10 players will be waived prior to the start of the regular season and then funneled to the organization’s G League affiliate.
“With these moves, obviously these are transitions,” Spoelstra said. “I say that every year because we want to get a core of young players of this next generation of guys to develop in Sioux Falls. So that also will be Darius and the rest of the guys that are still here in camp.”
The Heat closes its five-game preseason schedule with two home games — Monday against the Houston Rockets (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Sun) and Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans. Miami then opens the regular season on Oct. 19 against the Chicago Bulls at FTX Arena.
THIS AND THAT
▪ Yurtseven (ankle soreness) was the only Heat player who was limited in Sunday’s practice. The rest of the Heat’s roster were full participants.
▪ Oladipo is expected to make his preseason debut on Monday against the Rockets after missing the Heat’s first three preseason games.
▪ Jon Scheyer, who is about to begin his first season as the Duke men’s basketball coach after the retirement of Mike Krzyzewski, attended Sunday’s Heat practice. Scheyer sat alongside Heat CEO Nick Arison, who is a former Duke team manager.
This story was originally published October 9, 2022 at 11:58 AM.
